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Group discusses election changes

Student body president Kat Sullivan said the goal for the alteration of election policies “is to establish a better understanding of the policies both for the candidates and the student body as a whole.”

Senate members voted to implement changes to election policies, including permitting abroad students to campaign with a present Saint Mary’s student. Sullivan said Feb. 26 is the deadline for all campaign materials. Students can submit materials through an elections portal on OrgSync, she said.

“Every candidate that is running will have to sign something saying that they have read these policies and they agree to abide by these terms,” student body vice president Maddy Martin said.

Heritage Week at Saint Mary’s will begin Feb. 3, and various events will take place on campus, including a Heritage Week dinner in the Stapleton Lounge, saidCarmen Cardenas, president of the Student Diversity Board.

Throughout the week, students will be encouraged to share their heritage, she said.

“Any sort of Heritage – you could be the first person ever to attend Saint Mary’s, but you just want to write about how much you love Saint Mary’s,” Cardenas said.

Cardenas said students who write admirable stories about their heritage will receive prizes, and the winners will be announced at the heritage dinner.

An event titled, “Sugar Makes the World Go ‘Round,” will bring international desserts to the Noble Family Dining Hall on Feb. 6, Cardenas said. Following Heritage Week will be Women’s Appreciation Week, beginning Feb. 24, with the Diverse Student Leadership Conference (DSLC), taking place March 25 to 26.

The DSLC will have two keynote speakers: Faisal Alam, a gay, Pakistani-American, and Kevin Powell, Cardenas said.

Cardenas said a Saint Mary’s professor’s survey has found that diversity is not a popular conversation topic at the College.

“On the worst points, Saint Mary’s students, faculty and staff have shown that there is not enough talk about religious diversity or sexual orientation,” she said.

The goal of the conference will be to create dialogue on these subjects among Saint Mary’s students, Cardenas said.

Martin said another event to look forward to is “Women Honoring Women,” to take place in April.

“‘Women Honoring Women’ is a night where students can nominate a faculty member or someone who’s had an impact on their life at Saint Mary’s,” she said.

Martin said students and their nominees are invited to a dinner where a nominee is voted Woman of the Year.